Dual mode collaapsable shovel

ABSTRACT

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual mode snow shovel system including a hoe mode and a shovel mode. The system includes a blade member, shaft member, and handle. The shaft member may include an upper and lower shaft member slidably intercoupled to facilitate extended and collapsed configurations. A first end of the shaft member is releasably coupled to the blade member in a radially reversible orientation to facilitate either the shovel mode or the hoe mode. The shaft member includes a curvature disposed in proximity to the first end, and the blade member includes a corresponding curvature. The shovel mode includes a substantially parallel orientation of the blade member and the substantially straight lengthwise orientation of the shaft member. The hoe mode includes a substantially orthogonal orientation of the blade member and the substantially straight lengthwise orientation of the shaft member.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/898,520 filed Nov. 1, 2013, the contents of which are incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention generally relates to generally relate. In particular, the present invention relates to particularly relate.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Shovels are used for moving materials from one location to another. A shovel has the ability to quickly displace material without requiring the user to touch that material. A quantity of material is generally scooped up by a shovel and then released in a different location. Shovels can be used to displace a wide variety of materials including dirt, snow, etc.

Shovels include two primary components, a blade and a shaft. The blade is the shovel component in which the material is gathered. Blades are often concave or rounded to facilitate the retaining of loose materials. The shaft is made of one or more elongated members which extend away from the blade by a particular length. The shaft provides an interface to the blade for a user and can be used to create a lever force when scooping up material. The shaft is also used to support the materials during transportation. The shaft may also include a handle region for a user's hand. The shaft may include multiple components to facilitate collapsibility, such as interesting, telescoping, etc. for improved portability purposes.

One particular type of shovel is a portable dual mode snow shovel. Skiers, snowboarders, snowshoers and other snow sport enthusiasts often carry portable dual mode snow shovels for a variety of purposes. Portable snow shovels include some form of collapsing system which allows a user to compress or collapse the shovel to improve its portability. Likewise, dual mode snow shovels incorporate both a shovel mode and a hoe mode. The shovel mode includes a substantially parallel alignment between the shaft and the blade. In contrast, the hoe mode includes a substantially orthogonal alignment between the shaft and the blade. One application of a portable dual mode snow shovel is for quick displacement of snow to uncover a buried person from an avalanche. Other applications include the actions of digging a snow pit, digging a shelter, building a snow structure, excavating a vehicle, etc. Portable snow shovels are designed to be low profile and lightweight such that they can be carried during athletic activities or easily stored in small places.

The ability to switch between the shovel mode and the hoe mode improves digging efficiency by enabling the user to select the optimal blade configuration for a particular situation. For example, a partially buried user may prefer using the hoe mode over the shovel mode for self-extraction. Conventional dual mode systems fail to efficiently optimize both the shovel mode and hoe mode configurations. Therefore, there is a need in the industry for a snow shovel system that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by incorporating an improved dual mode system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improved portable snow shovel systems. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual mode snow shovel system including a hoe mode and a shovel mode. The system includes a blade member, shaft member, and handle. The shaft member may include an upper and lower shaft member slidably intercoupled to facilitate extended and collapsed configurations. A first end of the shaft member is releasably coupled to the blade member in a radially reversible orientation to facilitate either the shovel mode or the hoe mode. A second end of the shaft member is fixably coupled to the handle. The shaft member includes a curvature disposed in proximity to the first end, and the blade member includes a corresponding curvature. The shovel mode includes a substantially parallel orientation of the blade member and the substantially straight lengthwise orientation of the shaft member. The hoe mode includes a substantially orthogonal orientation of the blade member and the substantially straight lengthwise orientation of the shaft member.

Embodiments of the present invention represent a significant advance in the field of portable dual mode snow shovels. Conventional dual mode snow shovels fail to efficiently provide both a hoe mode and a shovel mode. Embodiments of the present invention facilitate handle use in both the shovel and the hoe mode, thereby providing a user with optimal leverage and functionality in both modes. Embodiments incorporate a blade member with a single coupling recess, thereby optimizing blade surface area. In addition, the shovel mode may incorporate a novel offset between the blade member surface and the lengthwise orientation of the shaft member, resulting in increased shovel efficiency and ergonomics. Finally, embodiments may include an extended and collapsed configuration of the shaft member, including separating the shaft member into slidably intercoupled upper and lower portions.

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will be set forth or will become more fully apparent in the description that follows and in the appended claims. The features and advantages may be realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Furthermore, the features and advantages of the invention may be learned by the practice of the invention or will be obvious from the description, as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The following description of the invention can be understood in light of the Figures, which illustrate specific aspects of the invention and are a part of the specification. Together with the following description, the Figures demonstrate and explain the principles of the invention. In the Figures, the physical dimensions may be exaggerated for clarity. The same reference numerals in different drawings represent the same element, and thus their descriptions will be omitted.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective component view of a dual mode snow shovel system with a hoe mode and shovel mode in accordance with embodiments of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 in an extended shaft configuration and the shovel mode;

FIG. 3 illustrates a profile view of the system of FIG. 1 in an extended shaft configuration and the shovel mode;

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 in a collapsed shaft configuration and the shovel mode;

FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 in an extended shaft configuration and the hoe mode; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 in a collapsed shaft configuration and the hoe mode.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to improved portable snow shovel systems. One embodiment of the present invention relates to a dual mode snow shovel system including a hoe mode and a shovel mode. The system includes a blade member, shaft member, and handle. The shaft member may include an upper and lower shaft member slidably intercoupled to facilitate extended and collapsed configurations. A first end of the shaft member is releasably coupled to the blade member in a radially reversible orientation to facilitate either the shovel mode or the hoe mode. A second end of the shaft member is fixably coupled to the handle. The shaft member includes a curvature disposed in proximity to the first end, and the blade member includes a corresponding curvature. The shovel mode includes a substantially parallel orientation of the blade member and the substantially straight lengthwise orientation of the shaft member. The hoe mode includes a substantially orthogonal orientation of the blade member and the substantially straight lengthwise orientation of the shaft member. Also, while embodiments are described in reference to a portable snow shovel, it will be appreciated that the teachings of the present invention are applicable to other areas, including but not limited to non-portable snow shovels.

The following terms are defined as follows:

Internested—a configuration between two members in which one member is disposed within the other.

Collapsed state—an operational state in which the upper and lower shaft members are slidably internested in a lengthwise orientation to facilitate portability.

Extended state—an operational state in which the upper and lower shaft members are slidably extended from one another to facilitate optimal functionality.

Shovel mode—an operational state in which the lengthwise orientation (also the substantially straight portion) of the shaft member is substantially parallel to the surface of the blade member (the interior surface orientation).

Hoe mode—an operational state in which the lengthwise orientation (also the substantially straight portion) of the shaft member is substantially orthogonal to the surface of the blade member (the interior surface orientation).

Reference is initially made to FIG. 1, which illustrates a dual mode snow shovel system, designated generally at 100. The system 100 includes a blade member 120, a shaft member 160, and a handle 140. The blade member 120 includes a surface 122 and a recess 124. The surface 122 may be concave and include various additional recesses, protrusions, and side wall (scoop members 127) to facilitate optimal functionality. The recess may also be referred to as a hozzle. The recess is shaped to facilitate a female-male type coupling with the shaft member. The recess is disposed at a rear external side wall region of the surface 122. The recess 122 includes a curvature 126 with respect to the surface 122. The curvature 126 of the recess corresponds to a curvature of the shaft member 160. The particular functionality and correspondence of the curvatures will be discussed further below.

The shaft member 160 may include an upper shaft member 165 and a lower shaft member 170. The upper shaft member 165 is an elongated hollow structure fixably coupled to the handle 140 on one end. The illustrated handle 140 is a D-shaped handle having an enclosed internal region, an opening, and a grip 142. The opening of the handle is aligned over the end of the upper shaft member 165. Various fixable coupling schemes may be used between the handle 140 and the upper shaft member 165, including but not limited to glue, geometrical locking, etc. The coupling scheme between the handle 140 and upper shaft member 165 will be discussed in further detail below. It will be appreciated that various types and shapes of handles may be utilized with certain embodiments of the present invention, including but not limited to T-shaped, D-shaped, etc. The illustrated upper shaft member 165 includes a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. It will be appreciated that various cross-sectional shapes and material compositions may be utilized for optimizing parameters pertaining to weight, strength, temperature, etc.

The lower shaft member 170 is an elongated hollow structure configured to slidably couple with the upper shaft member 165 and releasably couple with the blade member 120. A first lengthwise end 172 of the lower shaft member is configured to releasably couple with the blade member 120. A second lengthwise end 178 of the lower shaft member 170 is configured to slidably couple with the upper shaft member 165. The lower shaft member 170 is cross-sectionally shaped to internest within the upper shaft member 165 and the recess 124 of the blade member 120. The illustrated lower shaft member 170 includes a substantially rectangular cross-sectional shape. It will be appreciated that various cross-sectional shapes and material compositions may be utilized for optimizing parameters pertaining to weight, strength, temperature, etc. The lower shaft member 170 includes a curvature 174 disposed in proximity to the first end 172 configured to be releasably coupled with the blade member 120. The curvature 174 of the lower shaft member 170 corresponds to the curvature 126 of the recess 124 of the blade member 120 to facilitate the dual mode functionality of the system 100. The lower shaft member 170 may be selectively rotated 180 degrees along a lengthwise axis (radial rotation) to switch between the shovel mode and the hoe mode with respect to the blade member 120. Therefore, a user may switch between the shovel mode and hoe mode by simply disengaging the lower shaft member 170 from the blade member 120, radially rotating the lower shaft member 180 degrees, and recoupling the lower shaft member 170 with the blade member 120. The functionality of the corresponding curvatures 174, 126 thereby facilitates optimal mode switching. In addition, the corresponding curvatures 174, 126 facilitate an offset (See FIG. 3) in the shovel mode between the lower shaft member 170 and the blade member 120 surface 122.

Reference is next made to FIGS. 2-3, which illustrates the system 100 in an extended state with the blade member 120 in the shovel mode. The extended state includes slidably extending the lower shaft member 165 from the upper shaft member 170 in a lengthwise manner while maintaining the coupling therebetween. In operation, the user may be required to disengage some form of releasable locking mechanism securing the upper and lower shaft members in the collapsed state. For example, the user may be required to depress a spring biased pin adjacent to the handle end of the upper shaft member 165. The upper and lower shaft members 165, 170 must overlap a particular amount in the extended state to maintain lengthwise structural integrity. The upper shaft member 165 may further include a recess adjacent to the end opposite the handle. The lower shaft member 170 may include a spring biased pin which extends through the recess upon sliding the lower shaft member from the upper shaft member a particular distance. Since the cross-sectional shape of the upper and lower shaft members 165, 170 is substantially rectangular, the spring-biased pin of the lower shaft member 170 may be automatically rotationally aligned with the recess of the upper shaft member 165. It will be appreciated that various alternative slidable, releasable engagement systems may be utilized between the upper and lower shaft members 165, 170 in the extended state. The shovel mode of the blade member 120 includes an orientation in which the blade member 120 is substantially parallel to a substantially straight 176 region/portion (and lengthwise orientation) of the shaft member 160. In addition, the corresponding curvatures 174, 126 between the lower shaft member 170 and the blade member 120 result in an offset 125 (see FIG. 3). The offset 125 distance provides improved functionality and ergonomics in the shovel mode over a conventional straight blade-shaft alignment.

Reference is next made to FIG. 4, which illustrates the system 100 in a collapsed state with the blade member 120 in the shovel mode. The collapsed state includes sliding the lower shaft member 170 lengthwise within the upper shaft member 165, thereby dimensionally shortening the overall system. In operation, the user may be required to disengage some form of releasable locking mechanism securing the upper and lower shaft members 165, 170 in the extended state. For example, the user may be required to depress a spring biased pin on the upper shaft member 165.

Reference is next made to FIG. 5, which illustrates the system 100 in an extended state with the blade member 120 in the hoe mode. The extended state between the upper and lower shaft members is discussed above with reference to FIG. 3. The hoe mode includes coupling the blade member 120 to the lower shaft member 170 via the recess 124 in a particular orientation. For example, if the blade member is coupled to the lower shaft member 170 in the shovel mode, the blade member 120 may be releasably removed and rotated 180 degrees before reengaging with the lower shaft member 170. The curvatures 174, 126 of the lower shaft member and coupling recess cause the 180-degree rotation to substantially alter the alignment between the blade member 120 and the lengthwise orientation or substantially straight region 176 of the shaft member 160. The hoe mode includes the blade member 120 surface oriented substantially orthogonal to the lengthwise orientation or substantially straight region 176. The hoe mode is desirable over the shovel mode in various snow applications, including self-extraction of a partially buried user. The unique switching system between the shovel and hoe modes allows the user to maintain use of the handle in both modes. Likewise, the simple act of rotating either the lower shaft member or blade member with respect to one another allows for minimal switching time and requires little dexterity. It will be appreciated that the angle between the lengthwise orientation or substantially straight region 176 and the blade member 120 surface 122 may be slightly less than 90 degrees and still be considered substantially orthogonal in accordance with the intended definition.

Reference is next made to FIG. 6, which illustrates the system 100 in a collapsed state with the blade member 120 in the hoe mode. The collapsed state is described above with reference to FIG. 4, and the hoe mode is described above with reference to FIG. 5.

It should be noted that various alternative system designs may be practiced in accordance with the present invention, including one or more portions or concepts of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 or described above. Various other embodiments have been contemplated, including combinations in whole or in part of the embodiments described above. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A dual mode snow shovel with a hoe mode and a shovel mode comprising: a blade member including a surface and a recess, and wherein the blade member includes a blade curvature between the surface and the recess; a handle including a grip; a shaft member including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is releasably coupled to the blade member via the blade coupler and the second end is fixably coupled to the handle, and wherein the shaft member includes a shaft curvature in proximity to the first end and a substantially straight region including the second end; a hoe mode including configuring the releasable coupling between the first end of the shaft member and the blade member to create a substantially orthogonal orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region; and a shovel mode including configuring the releasable coupling between the first end of the shaft member and the blade member to create a substantially parallel orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft member further includes an upper shaft member fixably coupled to the handle and a lower shaft member releasably coupled to the blade member, and wherein the upper shaft member and lower shaft member are slidably intercoupled between an extended and collapsed state.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the substantially parallel orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region in the shovel mode includes an offset.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the blade curvature corresponds to the shaft curvature.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the blade member further includes scoop members substantially orthogonal to the surface.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein shaft member includes a rectangular cross-sectional shape.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the first end of the shaft member and recess of the blade member include a releasable pin coupler.
 8. The system of claim 7, wherein the releasable pin coupler includes a spring biased male pin and a recess.
 9. The system of claim 1, wherein the hoe mode includes orthogonally orienting the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the shovel mode includes parallel orienting the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the shaft member substantially straight region is the substantial lengthwise orientation of the shaft member.
 12. A dual mode snow shovel with a hoe mode and a shovel mode comprising: a blade member including a surface and a recess, and wherein the blade member includes a blade curvature between the surface and the recess; a handle including a grip; a shaft member including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is releasably coupled to the blade member via the blade coupler and the second end is fixably coupled to the handle, and wherein the shaft member includes a shaft curvature in proximity to the first end and a substantially straight region including the second end; a hoe mode including an orthogonally orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region; and a shovel mode including a parallel orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 13. The system of claim 12, wherein the shaft member further includes an upper shaft member fixably coupled to the handle and a lower shaft member releasably coupled to the blade member, and wherein the upper shaft member and lower shaft member are slidably intercoupled between an extended and collapsed state.
 14. The system of claim 12, wherein the substantially parallel orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region in the shovel mode includes an offset.
 15. A method for switching a dual mode snow shovel between a hoe mode and a shovel mode comprising the acts of: providing a blade member including a surface and a recess, and wherein the blade member includes a blade curvature between the surface and the recess; providing a handle including a grip; providing a shaft member including a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is releasably coupled to the blade member via the blade coupler and the second end is fixably coupled to the handle, and wherein the shaft member includes a shaft curvature in proximity to the first end and a substantially straight region including the second end; engaging the hoe mode by releasably coupling the first end of the shaft member and the blade member to create a substantially orthogonal orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region; and engaging the shovel mode by releasably coupling the first end of the shaft member and the blade member to create a substantially orthogonal orientation of the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of providing a shaft member further includes providing an upper shaft member fixably coupled to the handle and a lower shaft member releasably coupled to the blade member, and wherein the upper shaft member and lower shaft member are slidably intercoupled between an extended and collapsed state.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of engaging the hoe mode further includes orthogonally orienting the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of engaging the shovel mode further includes parallel orienting the blade member surface with respect to the shaft member substantially straight region.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein the blade curvature corresponds to the shaft curvature.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the act of engaging the shovel mode includes an offset between the parallel orientation of the surface and the substantially straight region. 